Varel International Ind., L.p.

Varel Europe S.a.s.

Steven Wayne Drews

Michael R Reese

William W King

Gilles Gallego

Alan K Harrell

Ian Alistair Kirk

Ian Alastair Kirk

Scott Buteaud

Cary Andrew Maurstad

Peter Clark Wilson

A bit for drilling a wellbore includes: a shank having a coupling formed at an upper end thereof; a body mounted to a lower end of the shank; and a cutting face forming a lower end of the bit. The cutting face includes: a blade protruding from the body; a leading cutter including: a substrate mounted in a pocket formed in a leading edge of the blade; and a cutting table made from a superhard material, mounted to the substrate, and having a non-planar working face with a cutting feature; and a backup cutter mounted in a lower face of the blade at a position trailing the leading cutter and made from a composite material including a ceramic or cermet matrix impregnated with a superhard material.

Drill bit having shaped leading cutter and impregnated backup cutter

A mill-drill cutter for an earth boring bit includes a cutting structure secured to a substrate. The cutting structure has a drilling edge, and the substrate has a milling edge. The substrate is configured to be received in a cutter pocket of the earth boring bit. The drilling edge of the cutting structure is disposed radially internal to the milling edge of the substrate.

Mill-drill cutter and drill bit

An apparatus that includes one or more machined high-angle sockets and method for fabricating such sockets. The apparatus includes a body, one or more blades extending outwardly from the body, and one or more high-angle nozzles machined into a portion of the blade. The body includes a bit face at one end and a plenum formed therein communicably coupled to an opening formed at an opposing end. Each blade includes a leading section, a trailing section, a face section extending from one end of the leading section to an end of the trailing section, and an inner section extending from an opposing end of the leading section to an opposing end of the trailing section. Each nozzle includes a nozzle socket cavity and a second hole intersecting with the nozzle socket cavity and extending to the plenum, which collectively form a passage extending from the plenum to the bit face.

Machined high angle nozzle sockets for steel body bits

A casing end tool has a bowl-like (or cup-like) body defined by a wall having an outer convex surface and an inner concave surface opposite of the outer convex surface. The bowl-like body has a center axis. The inner concave surface is non-axisymmetric with respect to the center axis, while the outer convex surface is axisymmetric with respect to the center axis. The non-axisymmetric configuration is provided in one implementation through the presence of a set of raised boss or land structures formed on the inner concave surface. In another implementation, the non-axisymmetric configuration is provided by channels formed in the inner concave surface.

Casing bit and casing reamer designs

A PDC bit includes a plurality of blades including primary blades and secondary blades. The included primary blades are set with PDC cutters in accordance with a 'single set' methodology. The included secondary blades, however, are set with PDC cutters using a type of 'plural set' methodology such that the radial positions of cutters on a secondary blade match the radial positions of cutters on a single set primary which is immediately preceding that secondary blade. Plural secondary blades can be positioned to follow a single primary blade, and the cutters on those plural secondary blades will have radial positions matching the cutters of the immediately preceding single set primary blade.

Multi-set PDC drill bit and method

An assembly is provided to attach a whipstock to a mill/drill bit. The assembly includes an upper collar adapted for installation around a shank of the mill/drill bit. At least one connecting member is mounted at a first end to the upper collar. The connecting member extends downwardly from the upper collar and is adapted to fit within a junkslot of the mill/drill bit to which the upper collar is attached. A whipstock attachment structure is mounted to a second end of the at least one connecting member.

Whipstock attachment to a fixed cutter drilling or milling bit

An apparatus and method for manufacturing a down hole tool that reduces manufacturing costs and enhances the tool's performance. A belted mold assembly includes a casting assembly, a belt assembly, and a mid-belt. The belted mold assembly is used to fabricate a casting that allows for a larger diameter blank to be used which displaces the more expensive casting material and for using a smaller outer diameter thin-walled mold. The casting assembly is disposed within the belt assembly and the mid-belt is loaded in the volume created between the casting assembly's outer surface and the belt assembly's inner surface. The mid-belt provides a bracing for the casting assembly during the casting process. Optionally, a cap can be disposed on top of the blank for preventing metallurgical bonds from forming between the binder material and the upper portion of the blank. This allows for the excess binder material to remain high in purity so that it can be reprocessed. The cap can be used with the belted mold assembly or with a casting assembly known in the prior art.

Growing community of inventors

Cypress, TX, United States of America

Steven Wayne Drews